Rural Michigan

The 15 Michigan counties with the highest suicide rates from 2005 through 2020 were all rural. Experts point to isolation, job loss and lack of mental health care as key contributors to rural despair.

A performance issue closes plant 11 days early, but energy regulators say they still hope to find a buyer. Nuclear is a key part of helping Michigan become carbon neutral.

Up North is bracing for big crowds and travel, as vacationers weigh personal risk and the third pandemic summer is set to start.

Prices have doubled since last year. That could be bad news for the price of consumer goods but may be good news for Michigan waterways.

The proposed expansion includes large tracts to the north, south, east and west of the existing 148,000-acre camp, some of it adjacent to the Au Sable and Manistee rivers.

It’s called the ‘quiet border’ because no one went to war or court to settle the line between Michigan and Indiana. But both states are embarking on serious efforts to define the 110-mile boundary.

The Guard, seeking more space for cyber training and other modern military needs, would expand Camp Grayling’s footprint by accessing vast swaths of state land. It may face pushback from landowners and outdoor groups.

Data compiled by the Institute for Public Utilities at Michigan State University shows that water prices are climbing quickly — more quickly, until recent price spikes, than most other goods and services.

After years of deferred maintenance, big upgrades are coming to Belle Isle and picturesque Tahquamenon Falls. But there are also potholes to fill, toilets and sewers to replace and electrical systems to modernize.

Septic systems are common around Elk Lake and many other lake communities. If they’re maintained, they usually manage to keep bacteria and viruses in check. But failing systems can allow contaminated water to seep into nearby bodies of water.

As some rural towns lose population and government funds shrink, some drinking water systems are one failure away from crisis.

Housing is already scarce in northern Michigan. Now businesses, faced with hiring for the billion-dollar tourist season, are finding their own solutions: Buying motels, leasing camp spaces and asking for rooms in houses.

Military veterans are at higher risk of suicide than the general population, even more so for veterans from rural areas, which have far fewer therapists. A large U.S. study found rural vets who received tablets for remote visits were far more likely to get mental health treatment, with fewer ER visits and lower suicide rates.

Michigan’s messiest primary may be Up North, where Republican activists offered one candidate a government job to drop out of the race and a conservative radio host is running as a Democrat.

The governor hopes a new federal funding source can prolong the plant’s life, protecting jobs and preventing the need to burn more fossil fuels for energy. But plant owners say that, for now, they’re sticking with plans to close.

Michigan hunters are so adept at hunting elk that state regulators now say a rarely used season in January is no longer necessary.

Authors Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone joined Bridge Michigan on Wednesday to discuss their coming-of-age novel set on Mackinac Island.

Limits could go from 3 to 2 per day because recreational anglers exceeded limits with Michigan tribes.

A list of 20 resolutions is exposing some fault lines among Democrats. Causes like tribal issues made the cut, while some favored by urban and rural blocs did not.

Sales were brisk at Up North Family Cafe for two years, and it expanded. But now increased costs while customers seem worried about their own finances are insurmountable. The restaurant will close Friday.